Damar Hamlin Surprises Team With FaceTime Call

Damar Hamlin is now breathing on his own, without help from a ventilator. Now, what the Buffalo News frames as "another huge step" out of Cincinnati, where the Buffalo Bills player has been hospitalized since Monday night, when he suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed while playing against the Bengals at Paycor Stadium. The News reports that on Friday, the 24-year-old safety was able to get on a surprise FaceTime call with his teammates, in what coach Sean McDermott describes as a "pretty cool exchange." "When I said that we had a treat in store ... you could see the look [in their eyes] and anticipation of what was probably coming," McDermott says of his Bills players, per ESPN.

"To see Damar ... through my own eyes, I know that's something I've been looking forward to," McDermott adds. "To watch the reaction in the room with the players and the staff and the team" was "amazing" and "touching." He notes that Hamlin's teammates applauded and "yelled some things to him." Hamlin had some words for the team as well. "Love you boys," he said, per the News, which notes Hamlin is known for openly expressing his love for those around him. "The hair on my neck stood up" when Hamlin spoke, says Bills general manager Brandon Beane. (More Damar Hamlin stories.)